Within These Confined Walls
by UrgeToDance
Summary: Jason has gone from being the-boy-with-all-the-answers to prep cook. He went from studying at Harvard to working at a restaurant. What happened to evoke such a big change? This is his story.
1. Prologue

_**A/N: **_It's funny how many people don't pick up on this, but Jason Talbot is the same Jason Talbot from _Along for the Ride_ and from _The Truth About Forever_. I always found Jason slightly irritating in _The Truth About Forever_ and even more so in _Along for the Ride_. At the end of _Along for the Ride_ Jason is an obnoxiously annoying guy who puts school/opportunities to excel before anything else- especially girls. So what changed? This is my take on things and it all started with this simple quote:

**It's about getting to the top and having nowhere to go but down. It's about the price you pay to follow your dreams. –Tim McIlrath**

**PROLOGUE**

_I grabbed the last box and carefully placed it into the backseat of the taxi, before closing the door. I got in the passenger seat, without once glancing at the tall building looming behind me. But as the taxi pulled away from the curb and towards the airport, I couldn't help but glance in the rear-view mirror. I wasn't just leaving behind my dorm; I was leaving a way of life. _

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><p>"You did <em>what,<em>" Dad shouted at me.

I don't think I'd ever seen him so mad. Not even that one time when I'd gotten a B+ on my physics test. I was prepared for this though, his anger and disappointment, and I didn't blame him. Not really. "I dropped out," I repeated, trying to convey with that one simple sentence that this was my decision and it was final.

Dad closed his eyes and dropped down heavily onto the couch next to Mom. "You dropped out," he repeated, taking off his glasses and running a tired hand across his face. All of a sudden he looked old and tired. No one said anything for a few minutes. Finally, Dad spoke up again, "And what are you planning on doing now?" He put his glasses back on and glared at me some more.

I swallowed. I knew the question was inevitable but I had still hoped they wouldn't ask it. "I was planning on getting a job."

"A job?" Dad spat at me. "Who would hire _you_—a dropout."

"Lots of people go straight into the work force after high school," I said more sharply than I had intended. There was a pause as I realized this had been the wrong thing to say.

"And are you like other people?" Dad asked, his voice dangerously quiet. I didn't say anything. "Your mom and I, we didn't raise you to be like other people."

"This is my decision," I said, quietly.

"And you're making the wrong one," Mom finally spoke up.

"No. I'm not. You know me, I've thought about this long and hard and I am not making the wrong decision. I know what I am doing."

"You've thought about this long and hard?" Dad asked. "And yet you don't know what you're going to do now."

"I told you," I said. "I'll get a job. I'll go and apply for a job at the library again."

"You dropped out of Harvard to work at the _library_?" Dad's voice was full of rage. "This is how you're going to repay us? After all we did for you? You—."

But Mom cut him off. "Listen, Jason," she said, her voice soft, compromising. "You have so much potential; you can't waste it like this. There's a reason we sent you to Kiffney-Brown. A reason why you took U classes while you were still in high school. Not to mention the recycling initiative you did during your junior year. You can't just drop out of Harvard on a mere whim. Getting into Harvard has been your goal since you were still a child. Honey, we want what's best for you."

I didn't say anything.

"Honey, please rethink this," Mom pleaded.

I still didn't say anything.

"Okay," Dad said, after a few minutes of silence. "Okay, go." I just looked at him, confused. "Get out," he clarified. "If you don't want to go back to Harvard—if you want to embarrass your mother and I like this in front of everyone—then go.

I stared at him, shocked. Had I heard him right? I had known that Mom and Dad would be disappointed—furious, even—but I had never thought for a second that they would kick me out of the house.

"Get out," Dad shouted when I still hadn't moved. "Grab your things and _go_!"

I stared at him for a few moments before turning on my heel and heading into the front foyer where my boxes and suitcases were still scattered about. I grabbed one of the suitcases with one hand and with the other I grabbed my car keys which were in the dish by the door. My car was still in the garage where I'd left it at the end of the summer when I'd first gone to Harvard. I threw my suitcase in the back and got into the driver seat. Behind me, in the house, I could hear Mom and Dad arguing.

"You can't kick him out of the house! He's your son!"

"I can do as I please, Martha! And he's no son of mine. My son wouldn't embarrass me in front of my colleagues. My son wouldn't drop out of Harvard to go work at the library!"

As I pulled out of the driveway I saw Mom run out the front door. "Jason!" she called out to me, tears sliding down her face. "Jason, come back!"

I ignored her, choosing to concentrate on the road instead. This time though, as I drove away, I didn't look back. I was glad to leave my past behind and start a new chapter of my life. No regrets.

**A/N: Read and review. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you. - UrgeToDance.  
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	2. The Beginning of Chaos

**Disclaimer: I do not own What Happened to Goodbye.  
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**Chapter 1: The Beginning of Chaos  
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I had no idea where I was going. I was just driving around aimlessly, trying to figure out what I was going to do now and more importantly _where_ I was going to go. It wasn't like I could just go to a friend's house and crash there since most of them had gone off to university. Not that I had that many friends to begin with. The environment at Kiffney-Brown was far too competitive for me to get close to anyone and the few friends that I had had at Jackson, I wasn't in touch with anymore.

It was just starting to get dark, when it began to snow. I knew the best case scenario would be to go home and make peace with my parents but real life isn't like that: it doesn't end up the way you expect. Just take a look at me. Besides, I knew that going home would mean giving up and admitting that they had been right. If I wanted to prove to them that I was making the right decision regarding my future, I had to prove to them that I could take care of myself and to do that, I couldn't go running back home. Not yet, anyways.

Honestly though, I didn't blame them for thinking I was crazy and kicking me out of the house. Not really. Occasionally when I would stop and think over what I had done, I was sure that I had completely lost it. But then I'd think about all the things that had led up to the moment when I made the decision to drop out and, once again, I'd be convinced that I was making the right choice. Well, at least as sure of my decision as it was possible to be under the circumstances.

I had changed a lot these past few months, of that I had no doubt, and I barely recognized myself as the same person. It scared me to think about how much I had changed and if it scared me, then it most certainly terrified my parents. Where once I had planned out every single detail of my life, I now went on instinct and let life take me wherever. Take now for instance, driving around with no purpose and no place to go. The old Jason would have never done this. He would have said it was a waste of time and completely pointless. What was the point in doing something if it didn't benefit your future in some way? Why waste time when you could be doing something beneficial? Like going to yoga class, or finishing an essay for school a couple of weeks early. Oh, and driving around like this was totally bad for the environment. "Don't you have any consideration for the planet? We only have one of it and you're destroying it," he'd rant. The old Jason had a point though. It was bad for the environment. The snow was beginning to come down harder as well, reducing visibility. So when I saw an OPEN sign up ahead, I pulled over into a nearby parking lot and got out of my car. I stood outside of the building, staring up at it for a whole minute. At least.

"Lakeview Public Library," the sign above the door read.

_Wonderful_, I thought. In my desperate attempt to escape my past I had ended up smack in front of one of the most important and influential places from my past. "If this is some kind of omen I should pack my bags and head back to Harvard right now," I muttered. It was cold out and the snow was still falling thickly, so despite my better judgment, I went inside.

I glanced around the library noting that the inside hadn't changed much, not that I had expected it to. The tables and chairs, the bookshelves, the computers, they were all in the same place they had been when I'd left at the end of the summer. There were several people scattered around the library, sitting in cozy armchairs reading books or hunched over their laptops at a table.

I chose an armchair in the back corner of the library, near the windows. As I sat down, I glanced around the library once more. To be honest, it was more than a little nerve-wracking to see how little had changed here, when I had changed so much. The little changes that I could spot though were probably things no one else would have noticed or paid too much attention to: like the three unfamiliar faces that now sat at the information desk where I used to work, along with my old coworkers Amanda and Bethany. Or the fact that the cart of used books for sale wasn't by the computers anymore, the way it had been when I'd still worked here. Instead it was over by the far wall, near the water fountain. The little unfamiliarity's didn't make me feel any calmer, however. For some reason they made me more anxious, as though they were taunting me, trying to get me to admit that I had changed and didn't belong here anymore.

I jiggled my foot up and down, trying to get rid of the pent-up energy but it was no use. I felt weird sitting here, staring around; I felt as though I should be doing something, even though I didn't work here anymore.

I stood up. Coming here hadn't been such a good idea, after all. I had only taken a step though, when I changed my mind. Where would I go if I left the library? I didn't have a home to go to anymore and though I did have friends who were probably home for the Winter Holidays I wasn't close enough to any of them, to ask if I could stay at their house for a few days because I'd been kicked out of my own. It would mean having to answer some very awkward questions and I wanted to avoid that as long as possible. I knew the story would eventually get around: that I had dropped out of Harvard and I knew that people were bound to ask _why_ I'd dropped out. I wasn't ready to face that yet. I wanted to delay the inevitable as long as possible. After all, I still had a hard enough time explaining to myself why I'd dropped out.

I stepped over to the window, wiping the condensation off the glass with my bare hand, making a soft squeaking noise, before leaning close and cupping my hands around my face so I could see outside. The snow was still coming down hard. It would be dangerous to be driving in such awful weather. Yes. I'd stay here a little bit longer.

I walked over to a nearby shelf and grabbed a book at random. If I was going to stick around here, I might as well keep myself busy. I took my seat again, opened the book to a random page, reading out: "_Fair is foul, and foul is fair_./ _Hover through the fog and filthy air_."

What? I read the two lines again, not daring to believe but nope, the words didn't change. I slammed the book shut and glanced at the cover. Yep. Macbeth. Great. Absolutely wonderful. I could see Macy's face in my mind's eye as I threw Macbeth onto the empty armchair next to mine, before running a tired hand through my hair.

I heard someone near me laugh softly and say, "You hate Macbeth that much?" I looked up to see a young librarian standing by a nearby table, clearing away the books that had been left there. She looked vaguely familiar with her straight blonde hair and red-framed glasses though I couldn't place where I'd seen her. "I could help you understand it, if you want," she offered.

"No. That's alright," I said smiling slightly. "I understand it. I just...don't feel like reading, I guess."

"Oh, okay. Well, if you need anything, let me know," she said, smiling at me before walking away, the stack of books in her arms.

I watched her walk away and disappear behind a bookshelf before leaning over and grabbing Macbeth off the chair next to mine. I opened it up to the first page, running my forefinger across each line, the same way I'd done years ago when Macy had admitted she didn't understand a word of Macbeth. I felt a slight pang in my chest, just thinking about her. What was wrong with me? I hadn't thought anout her in years, not since she'd left me for that long-haired delinquent, but recently she had kept cropping up in my thoughts. And not just Macy, but Auden too.

At first glance, the two girls didn't seem to have much in common, other than the fact that they were both very smart and driven. Lately though, I'd felt as though they both had more to them than what met the eye, and for some reason I couldn't get this thought out of my head. If I was honest with myself, I had—

"Hey!" I heard someone yell, breaking into my thoughts. I glanced up; noting everyone in the library was looking to see who had yelled. Their faces bore identical expressions of either amusement or irritation. The librarians, however, looked scandalised, not daring to believe that anyone would have the guts to break the peace and quiet of the library.

Amused, I glanced over to my left. A teenage boy, standing by one of the computers looking frustrated, was waving one of the librarians over to him. One glance showed me it was the blonde one. The one that had looked familiar.

"You can't shout in the library," she told the boy, as she walked over to him, looking disapproving. "People are trying to read or study."

"Yeah, yeah," he waved a hand dismissively. "I need help with the computer. It's not working. See, I'm trying to—."

Exactly what he was trying to do, I didn't bother to find out: I tuned him out. I could have gone and helped him, of course but something kept me in my seat. I could have probably fixed the problem in an instant; after all, I hadn't been given the title of 'The Boy Who Knew Everything' for nothing. I wondered if any of the people who came to the library still remembered me, or even missed me, or if I had been just another librarian to them. Just someone else with all the answers. I was pretty sure my old coworkers would remember me, and that is why I didn't get up and help out the boy. It was because I didn't want to call attention to myself. At least, that's what I told myself.

I didn't dare let myself dwell on the fact that I wasn't the same Jason I had been when I'd worked here, only months earlier. Or the possibility that maybe, just maybe, I didn't have all the answers after all.

I glanced back down at the open book in my hands and began to read. Anything to keep myself from thinking too much.

I hadn't been reading for long, when I heard the same familiar female voice say, "Excuse me, sir." I looked up, thinking she was talking to me, but she was talking to a man a few tables over. "We're closing now."

I glanced at my watch. It was almost 9pm.

"Already?" the man grumbled.

"I'm sorry."

The man continued to grumble but the librarian had already moved over to where I was sitting. "I'm sorry but we're closing," she told me.

"It's alright," I told her, closing Macbeth, before standing up and stretching.

She smiled slightly, and turned away, only to turn back to face me again. "You know, I've been thinking all night, you look kind of familiar."

"Yeah?" I asked, dreading what was coming next.

"Yeah." There was a slight pause and then she snapped her fingers. "Right. I remember! You're Jason, right?"

"Uh... yeah," I cleared my throat, slowly running a hand through my hair. God, I didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. I knew it had been a bad idea to come here. "I am."

"Wow," she said awed, as though I was some famous celebrity she had wanted to meet all her life, and she'd finally gotten the chance. "Do you remember me?"

"Vaguely."

"I'm Lauren. I started working here near the end of the summer. You know, to take over once you, Amanda and Bethany left for college. You trained me, remember?"

I nodded. "Right. I remember." I silently cursed my luck. Of all the people I could have run into, it had to be someone I'd personally trained, someone who would remember me as The Boy Who Knew Everything.

"Oh, shit," she said suddenly, covering her mouth with her hands. "I'm so sorry."

I gave her a quizzical look, "Pardon?"

"Macbeth."

"I don't—," I began.

"You understood it, didn't you? Macbeth? You understood it. Of course you did. And I offered to _help_ you." She looked horrified.

I wanted to laugh, but didn't, in case it offended her. "Oh, that's okay," I said.

"Yeah, but I offered to _help_," she repeated, as though I hadn't grasped the enormity of it. "As if you needed help. I mean, you're, like, the smartest person in the world. You know everything."

I stiffened, looking away.

She must have sensed something change in me, because she changed the subject, "So are you here on your winter break to spend Christmas with your family or something?"

"Or something," I said, feeling uncomfortable. I knew she was just trying to be friendly but I was not in the mood to be interrogated. There was a short and awkward silence and I knew this was my escape. "Well, I should get going," I said, gesturing towards the front door.

"Yeah," she said. "Here, if you're not signing out Macbeth I'll put it back for you." She reached for the book in my hands. I gave it to her. "Well, I should finish clearing up. It was nice seeing you again. Take care. Oh, and I _am_ sorry," she added earnestly, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

"You take care too, and don't worry about it." I smiled at her before turning around and walking away. I had only taken a few steps when I heard the question I had been dreading.

"Hey, Jason. Which college did you say you go to again?"

But I kept walking; not turning around and certainly not answering the question. I pulled up the hood of my parka, pretending I hadn't heard her.

**A/N: Forgot to mention this earlier, but this is my first fanfic. I'm sorry if it sucks. -UrgeToDance**


	3. Decisions

**Disclaimer: I do not own What Happened to Goodbye.  
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**Chapter 2: Decisions**

As I stepped out of the library I was met with a blast of cold air. I stuffed my hands into my pockets to protect them from the merciless December chill and made my way to my car.

I got into my car and sat there for a few minutes, not sure where to go next. All I knew was that I wanted to get out of this cold. I was also well aware of the fact that despite my longing to get out of the cold, I didn't have anywhere to go. I put my keys in the ignition, deciding that anywhere was better than sitting here. Maybe I could go to some diner or some coffee shop or something. Somewhere where I could sit for a while and warm myself. I turned the keys in the ignition, and immediately cranked up the heat before carefully easing my car out of the parking lot.

I remembered hearing from someone at Kiffney-Brown that Auden spent all her nights in some diner. This had always frustrated me in the past: how could someone who didn't get a good night's sleep possibly be my number one competition for highest GPA? I didn't want to run into Auden or anyone else I knew for that matter, so maybe it would be better to lay low. At least for a while.

I glanced at the time; it was only a few minutes past nine. I had two choices: either I sat in my car and drove around all night, possibly getting into an accident in this snowstorm, or I passed the time in some diner and risked running into someone I knew. Neither option sounded that great. Although, considering what had just happened at the library maybe it was better to just stay in my car.

I chuckled softly, without any humor. The light ahead turned red and I slowly came to a stop. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd rather choose to get into an accident than run the risk of running into someone I knew.

But things had changed now. _I_ had changed. I wasn't scared to see people I knew, it was more that I didn't know what to say to them. How was I supposed to explain things to others when I couldn't even explain it to myself? God, I sounded like a broken record player.

I sighed, exasperated with myself and slowly pulled forward as the light turned green. Stupid snow was making it difficult to drive; driving around like this was reckless. I had to make up my mind quickly. I tightened my hands on the steering wheel, thinking hard.

Was I really willing to run into someone else I knew? After what had just happened at the library, maybe it was better to keep a low profile. And after the way my parents had acted earlier today, keeping a low profile sounded even more appealing.

Okay, so it was decided: I'd fly under the radar. At least for tonight. Which would mean that I'd need to find a place to stay. The problem with that, however, was that I had nowhere to go. It seemed as though the only option I had was to sleep in my car. I knew it was illegal to sleep in your car in most cities and towns but I couldn't remember if Lakeview was one of them. Although, I supposed it didn't really matter. I'd have to sleep in my car either way, seeing as I didn't have anywhere else to go. "_Great_," I thought, smiling without any humor. "_My first criminal act_."

Up ahead, the streetlight turned red again. I turned on my blinker, planning on taking a right at the next intersection. The street I was on right now was busy with traffic, despite the heavy snowfall; I'd feel safer—both driving and sleeping—on a less busy street.

As I carefully took the corner, I was struck by a sudden thought. I didn't have anywhere to go, right? I'd have to sleep in my car? So why not park my car in a parking lot instead of on the side of a street? Also, parking in a parking lot would probably draw less attention than parking on the street. Parking on a busy street would only make it more likely for the cops to find me, especially since the windows on my car weren't tinted; anyone could see into my car. If I parked on some residential street, well, there was always the chance that the people living there would get suspicious and wonder why a strange car was parked in front of their house. Although, I supposed I could park my car in such a way, so that it was in the middle of two houses. That way, the people living on the left would assume I was visiting their neighbors on the right, and vice versa. I smiled, thinking how diabolical that was.

Still, though it was a good idea, it would probably be safer to stay in a parking lot. I vaguely remembered debating with someone a long time ago about whether or not people should be allowed to sleep in their cars in Park Mart parking lots. I'd been against it obviously, stating that the homeless were leeching off of society and not giving anything in return. "It's all take and no give," I had said stubbornly, not realizing that one day I'd be glad that Park Mart allowed people to sleep in their parking lots.

As I passed through another intersection, I glanced at the street signs to ensure I was on the street I thought I was on. If I was right, there was a Park Mart only a couple of blocks away, and sure enough, a few minutes later, I was pulling into an empty parking space in front of Park Mart.

As I turned off the car, I realized something I'd overlooked earlier: I couldn't leave the car on all night, but without the car and the heat on I'd probably freeze to death.

_Things just get better and better_, I thought bitterly, before remembering that I had brought along a suitcase when I'd run out of my parents house this morning. I turned around and glanced at the big black suitcase in the backseat. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't sure what was in it. When I'd decided to drop out of Harvard, I'd been in a bit of a hurry and thrown things into my suitcases without giving a second thought to what was going where.

Reaching out, I unzipped the suitcase with some difficulty, my arm bent at the unnatural angle, only to be greeted with a huge mess. Most of my clothes were in here, which I'd thrown in here haphazardly, not bothering to fold any of them.

I couldn't help but think that the old Jason wouldn't have been very impressed. Hell, the old Jason couldn't even have gone to the grocery store to buy bread without a detailed plan of action.

I pulled off my parka and grabbed a sweater at random, pulling it on, then another, and another. Before I knew it I had on most of the sweaters and shirts in my suitcase. I glanced down at my jeans as I pulled on my parka again. No. There was no way I was going to pull jeans on over another pair of jeans. It'd look too weird. My legs would just have to put up with the cold.

_Okay, now what?_ I wondered, turning to face forward again. How the hell was I supposed to sleep in a car? Especially in the dead of winter with a snowstorm raging outside? I pulled my legs up closer to my chest, trying to conserve body heat. It had been only a few minutes since I'd turned the heat off and I was already beginning to feel cold. How was I supposed to spend an entire night like this?

I leaned my head against the window and watched as my breath fogged up the window. Glaring at the fog, as though it had personally offended me, I pushed myself away from the window. Leaning against the window to sleep was a bad idea. Not only would people immediately spot me sleeping in my car, but what if some psychotic person decided to smash my window and break into my car? Not that I had anything too valuable. No, wait, that wasn't true. I had my credit card and my wallet, not to mention my laptop in my suitcase.

Wait, I did have my laptop in my suitcase, right? I didn't remember seeing my sleek black laptop case just now when I had pulled out my clothes, but maybe it was somewhere near the bottom. Though I knew I should have checked for my laptop, I was too exhausted, everything that had happened that day finally catching up with me: the long flight back from Harvard wondering what my parents were going to say, my parents kicking me out, seeing Lauren again.

I closed my eyes, exhausted and in my mind's eye I saw a girl with pale skin and wild, curly red hair, her bright green eyes narrowed suspiciously. Or was it curiosity?

I gave an involuntary jerk and opened my eyes, all exhaustion gone. I let my eyes wander through the mostly empty parking lot, which was now covered with a thick coating of fluffy, white snow. There were a few cars, parked near the front of the store and I suddenly remembered that quite a few Park Marts were open 24 hours. It wouldn't be a bad idea to go inside and buy a few things like blankets or pillows or maybe even a sleeping bag. Running into someone be damned. I was freezing out here and if the only way to make sure I didn't freeze my butt off was to endure a few minutes of awkward conversation, well, I'd do it.

I opened the door and got out, feeling slightly disorientated, thanks to the many layers I was wearing. I glanced up at the sky, watching the snowflakes fall thick and fast, before making my way towards the front of the store.

As I stepped inside, I let out a sigh of relief. It was so warm in here, maybe I should just stay here all night, wandering through the empty aisles. I made my way down the aisles in search of blankets and pillows. Would I even need a pillow? Or would it be a waste? Would there even be room for a pillow in my car? I had no idea. It wasn't like I had ever slept in a car before. I was completely out of my element. Again. It seemed to be happening a lot lately.

Eventually I reached the aisle I was looking for. Blankets, pillows, sheets and all sorts of other odds and ends covered the shelves. I grabbed a blanket at random; it felt warm enough but one glance at the price and I knew there was no way I could buy it. I shoved the blanket back onto the shelf and continued to meander down the aisle, pausing every now and then to pull down and inspect another blanket.

I had money. In fact, I had a lot of money, thanks to the fact that I'd worked at the library through most of high school and had had the sense to save it, in preparation for university, instead of spending it on movies and clothes and fast food like all my classmates from Jackson had done. _Well, at least the old Jason had done some things right_, I thought wryly.

Despite the fact that I had a lot of money, I was still going to be careful with it. After all I still had to find and rent an apartment, and buy groceries and furniture for said apartment. Not to mention, I didn't have a job yet, so there would be no money coming in. And also, it wasn't as though I could ask my parents for money—or help of any kind—if I ran into any problems. Not that I could remember ever having asked them for money.

Grabbing a blanket and pillow that were soft, affordable and in the blankets case warm, I made my way down to the only open register. There were a couple of people already in line, so I fell in behind a tall guy with long hair held back in a ponytail.

As the line slowly moved forward, the guy in front of me placed a jumbo pack of paper towels on the conveyor belt. As he did, I noticed scars criss-crossing across his arm and idly wondered where he had gotten them.

"Good evening," I heard the girl behind the counter say, sounding all too peppy, grabbing the paper towels and scanning them. Then she glanced at the guy in front of me and suddenly her face brightened in recognition. "Hey, you're out late again. Do you always do your shopping this late?"

"Well, not anymore," I heard the guy in front of me reply. "But I sometimes fall into my old habit," he flashed her a smile.

She nodded, smiling back. "That'll be 9.98."

I watched as the guy handed the cashier a few crumpled bills. "I'll see you tomorrow," he told the girl and she nodded. He grabbed his jumbo pack of paper towels, and headed towards the doors. As the doors slid open and he stepped out, I was hit with another blast of cold air and I could see the snow swirling outside.

"Hi," the cashier said, turning to me as I readjusted the blanket under one of my arms so I could place the pillow on the conveyor belt with the other.

"Awful weather isn't it?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "It is."

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><p>A few minutes later I was headed out the automatic doors towards my car, carrying my new purchases in my arms, when something caught my eye. Call it what you want, but I choose to call it destiny, tacky as it sounds. In one of the front windows of Park Mart, was a Help Wanted sign. Smiling slightly, I headed back inside the store.<p>

"Back again?" the cashier asked, and this time I noted that she wasn't as young as I had originally thought. She was probably in her late teens or as opposed to her early ones.

"Yes," I replied. "I was wondering about the Help Wanted sign actually. Are you still hiring?"

She glanced at the window where the sign was and then back at me. "Yeah, I think so. Just drop off your resume and we'll—,"

I didn't hear the rest of her sentence. I had been hoping to get a job right on the spot, dumb as it may sound.

"So how about it?" she asked.

"Oh," I said, coming back to the present. "I don't have my resume with me right now."

She looked confused for a second and then said, "No, no. I just asked you if you want to talk to the manager. He's staying late today, he had to do something. I'm pretty sure he's still in his office."

I didn't think her manager would think much of me barging into his office late at night, demanding a job. "Oh, that's okay. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow."

"You sure?" the girl asked. "The manager's my dad so I could probably get him to interview you for a job right now. I mean, if you want."

"Oh." I paused, thinking hard. Though the girl was saying her dad was the manager and she could probably get her dad to interview me, I still wasn't sure what the manager would think of me for barging into his office for an interview when he had obviously stayed late so he could get some work done. _Stop thinking so much into things, Jason_, I scolded myself. _He's either going to give you a job—which is great—or he isn't—which isn't so great. But even if he doesn't give you a job, you can try looking for a job somewhere else. Not getting a job here isn't the end of the world._

"Okay," I told her. "I'll talk to him. But only if he's not busy."

"Don't worry, he's not," she assured me. "Besides, Dad owes me. One of the other employees called in sick today so he made me come in. Just a sec, okay? I'm going to go convince him to give you an interview." She took a few steps away and then turned back to face me. "Hey. What's your name again?"

"Jason," I told her. "My name is Jason."

"Jason," she repeated. "Nice to meet you." She smiled at me and tapped her name-tag, "My name is Mandy."

* * *

><p>As I stepped out of Park Mart for the second time that night, I couldn't help but think that though there was no doubt the day had been awful, the world wasn't conspiring against me. After all, I had a job now. The interview with the manager hadn't even been much of an interview. The moment Mandy had said I was a friend of hers—I hadn't bothered to correct her—her father had given me the job.<p>

I had a job now. I had a blanket and even a pillow. Though it wasn't a lot, I still felt good. Better than I had before going into the store, at least. Now all I needed was an apartment. I'd search for that first thing tomorrow morning. For tonight though, I'd have to sleep in my car.

I carried my purchases to my car, opening the back door with some difficulty, thanks to the bulky shopping bags I was carrying. I stuffed the bags into the backseat, beside my suitcase. I closed my suitcase and pulled it out, before stuffing into the trunk of my car. I glanced around once to see if there was anyone around. No one. I didn't want people to start suspecting that I was sleeping in my car, even if I was allowed to sleep in the Park Mart parking lot. Hopefully the fact that my car would be parked here all night probably wouldn't attract too much attention, since Part Mart was open 24 hours.

But what if Mandy or her father walked out and found me? What would my new manager and co-worker/friend say if they found out their new employee was sleeping in the parking lot. I didn't even want to think about it. I doubted their reaction would be a good one.

_I have two options_, I thought as I got into the driver's seat. _Either I say 'screw it' and sleep here anyways, or I drive in this snowstorm and sleep in a different parking lot._ Though neither option was very tempting, finding another Park Mart to sleep in seemed slightly better. I wasn't too eager to get fired only moments after I'd gotten a job.

* * *

><p>About ten minutes later, I was pulling into an empty parking space. This particular Park Mart seemed a little busier than the previous one. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. I was pretty satisfied with the parking spot I'd chosen. I hadn't wanted to park too close to the store because more people would walk past my car, which meant that the chance of someone finding me was greater. Though I was pretty sure it was legal to sleep in the Park Mart parking lot, I wasn't going to take chances. The parking space wasn't too far from the store either; reason being that parking too far would probably attract attention too.<p>

I got out of my car, and got into the backseat. I ripped open the packaging of my pillow and blanket, throwing the plastic bags on the front passenger seat. I placed the pillow on one end, by the door and pulled my legs up onto the seat by the other door. I pulled my shoes off, but decided to leaves my socks on to keep my feet warm. I double checked to make sure the doors were locked and carefully laid down on the backseat, my knees pulled up near my chest.

How did people sleep like this? It was far from comfortable. Not to mention the fact that I felt so vulnerable lying here in the backseat of my car. Anyone could break in. But hey, at least I wasn't sleeping _outside_. Sleeping in my car might not be my favorite way to sleep but I preferred it to sleeping outside. Especially during this snowstorm.

I closed my eyes, willing sleep to come.

**A/N: Chapter 2 is finally up. Sorry for the long wait. I just started university this year and it takes up a lot of my time, although I've noticed that I get a lot more written while I'm in class than while I'm out of class. Heh, most of this chapter was written during one of my chemistry lectures. -UrgeToDance**


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